Pensions are unfunded. Where will the money come from? Should they just go bankrupt and restructure the pensions? The following piece appeared on American City & County
New Hampshire has the same problems, pensions were promised by legislators and bureaucrats not taxpayers. The pensions should have never been promised in the first place. When they can't be paid you can bet this will not sit pretty with those people and chaos will ensue just like it has in France, Greece, England and Spain. Lord help us, all let us hope these pensioners wise up and restructure their pensions now.
New Hampshire Legislators now is the time to solve the problem before it is too late.
“Any change is resisted because bureaucrats have a vested interest in the chaos in which they exist.” ~ Richard M. Nixon
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
States lack $1 trillion for pensions
May 1, 2010 12:00 PM, By Jennifer Grzeskowiak
Some states are drastically underfunding their obligations to retirees
ShareThis
States have only actually funded $2.35 trillion of the $3.35 trillion in employee retirement benefits they owe, according to a recently released report from Washington-based Pew Center for the States. The shortfall could lead to larger liabilities in the future and cuts in services, even at the local government level.
The report, "The Trillion Dollar Gap: Underfunded state retirement systems and the roads to reform," ranks state pension and retiree health care/non-pension benefit systems based on three criteria: a funding ratio of at least 80 percent; an unfunded liability below covered payroll; and an average payment of at least 90 percent of the actuarially required contribution over the past five years. It designates 16 states as "solid performers" for meeting all three standards for their pensions. Another 15 states are "in need of improvement" and 19 are designated as "meriting serious concerns," meaning they did not meet any of the criteria.
Many of the strong performing states consistently fund their systems in both financially good and bad years, and many have a legal requirement to fund their pension systems. The poorly performing states often failed to contribute enough to their plans in good times and made other mistakes, says Katherine Barrett, a consultant for Pew Center on the States.
If states fail to address their pension gaps, less money could be distributed to local governments, such as in the form of highway funds, and reimbursements from the state for social services could be cut, says Chris Hoene, director of research and innovation for the Washington-based National League of Cities.
It is difficult to predict when the unfunded liabilities will reach that critical level because of vagaries in the investment markets and other factors. "But, you can see that states with larger unfunded liabilities already have to pay a lot more each year," Barrett says. "That becomes more of an expensive problem the longer you put it off."
Jennifer Grzeskowiak is a Laguna Beach, Calif.-based freelance writer.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
We Love Homeschoolers!
Some colleges actively seek out homeschoolers, they know they out perform their public school peers on standardized tests and that they are "independent thinkers. The following piece appeared on Life Site News.com.
Any place that anyone young can learn something useful from someone with experience is an educational institution." ~ Al Capp
"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." ~George Santayana
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
Colleges Nationwide Recruit Homeschool Grads
BY LIFESITENEWS.COM
GRAY, Tenn., January 4, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As the modern-day homeschool movement confidently marches forward into its fourth decade, colleges and universities are opening wide their doors to welcome its mature, prepared graduates to their ranks. Homeschoolers score an average of 37 percentile points above the national average on standardized achievement tests and typically score above average on the SAT and ACT, statistics that apparently have caught the eye of college admissions personnel. Since 1999, the number of homeschoolers in the United States has increased by 74%, and today thousands of young men and women are graduating from high school—at home.
Colleges are employing a wide variety of strategies aimed at recruiting homeschoolers, including strong representation at homeschool conventions, direct mailing campaigns, and promotions in catalogs, on their websites, and in publications such as The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the nation’s most popular print magazine for homeschoolers. Colleges sponsor “Homeschool College Days” for juniors and seniors, and at Wheaton College, where nearly 10% of the freshman class is represented by homeschool grads, applicants can even be put in touch with current Wheaton students who were homeschooled. Regent University’s website heralds the school as “the right choice for home-schooled students,” and the U.S. Air Force Academy’s website includes guidelines addressed specifically to homeschooled applicants.
A number of institutions have appointed “homeschool liaison and recruitment specialists” to serve incoming freshmen and their families. In her 2009 article titled “‘We Love Homeschoolers!’ Prominent Colleges Jump on the Recruiting Bandwagon,” author Claire Novak, herself a homeschool grad, quoted one such specialist, who said, “As the number of homeschooled students grow, colleges are finding it’s a market you can’t ignore.”
Nearly 30% of Bob Jones University’s current students were educated at home. BJU’s website reports: “As a group, our homeschooled students are among the best students in the entire university student body. They have added a fresh dimension to the body of conventionally schooled students. We consider them a real asset.” Stanford Magazine reported that “among the nation’s elite universities, Stanford has been one of the most eager to embrace them [homeschoolers]. . . .[H]omeschoolers bring a mix of unusual experiences, special motivation and intellectual independence that makes them a good bet to flourish on the Farm.” Savannah College of Art and Design “welcomes home-schooled students and recognizes the outstanding talent and achievements of this diverse group of well-rounded individuals.” And these are just a few examples of the favorable reputation that homeschooled students have earned.
Recent studies confirm the academic success of homeschoolers who attend college. Citing results of a 2010 survey, the Journal of College Admission reports that “homeschool students possess higher ACT scores, grade point averages (GPAs) and graduation rates when compared to traditionally-educated students.”
Seth Back, a homeschooler who took and passed the GED test at age 15 and is currently enrolled at Harvard, is confident that he was “better prepared for certain college situations than students who had been through the public/private school system.” During the past five years, Seth earned a juris doctor degree, passed the California Bar Exam, earned a master’s degree in church history, and studied at Oxford—all while managing his own consulting business. He credits homeschooling with fueling a love of learning and teaching him to take personal responsibility for his education, which included pursuing a wide variety of opportunities for his personal enrichment. He is but one example of the thousands of motivated, successful, visionary students who have benefited tremendously from their home education.
Colleges are looking for young people like Seth. They are excited about the exceptional potential presented by homeschool graduates and are vigorously pursuing their attention.
As college professors nationwide are given the opportunity to influence and further equip homeschool graduates, surely they will be refreshed and encouraged by this new breed of “independent thinkers” who are filling their classrooms. Wise college professors will carefully take advantage of the privilege they are being given in those classrooms—to build on the strong foundation laid by these students’ former teachers: their parents.
Any place that anyone young can learn something useful from someone with experience is an educational institution." ~ Al Capp
"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." ~George Santayana
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
Colleges Nationwide Recruit Homeschool Grads
BY LIFESITENEWS.COM
GRAY, Tenn., January 4, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As the modern-day homeschool movement confidently marches forward into its fourth decade, colleges and universities are opening wide their doors to welcome its mature, prepared graduates to their ranks. Homeschoolers score an average of 37 percentile points above the national average on standardized achievement tests and typically score above average on the SAT and ACT, statistics that apparently have caught the eye of college admissions personnel. Since 1999, the number of homeschoolers in the United States has increased by 74%, and today thousands of young men and women are graduating from high school—at home.
Colleges are employing a wide variety of strategies aimed at recruiting homeschoolers, including strong representation at homeschool conventions, direct mailing campaigns, and promotions in catalogs, on their websites, and in publications such as The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the nation’s most popular print magazine for homeschoolers. Colleges sponsor “Homeschool College Days” for juniors and seniors, and at Wheaton College, where nearly 10% of the freshman class is represented by homeschool grads, applicants can even be put in touch with current Wheaton students who were homeschooled. Regent University’s website heralds the school as “the right choice for home-schooled students,” and the U.S. Air Force Academy’s website includes guidelines addressed specifically to homeschooled applicants.
A number of institutions have appointed “homeschool liaison and recruitment specialists” to serve incoming freshmen and their families. In her 2009 article titled “‘We Love Homeschoolers!’ Prominent Colleges Jump on the Recruiting Bandwagon,” author Claire Novak, herself a homeschool grad, quoted one such specialist, who said, “As the number of homeschooled students grow, colleges are finding it’s a market you can’t ignore.”
Nearly 30% of Bob Jones University’s current students were educated at home. BJU’s website reports: “As a group, our homeschooled students are among the best students in the entire university student body. They have added a fresh dimension to the body of conventionally schooled students. We consider them a real asset.” Stanford Magazine reported that “among the nation’s elite universities, Stanford has been one of the most eager to embrace them [homeschoolers]. . . .[H]omeschoolers bring a mix of unusual experiences, special motivation and intellectual independence that makes them a good bet to flourish on the Farm.” Savannah College of Art and Design “welcomes home-schooled students and recognizes the outstanding talent and achievements of this diverse group of well-rounded individuals.” And these are just a few examples of the favorable reputation that homeschooled students have earned.
Recent studies confirm the academic success of homeschoolers who attend college. Citing results of a 2010 survey, the Journal of College Admission reports that “homeschool students possess higher ACT scores, grade point averages (GPAs) and graduation rates when compared to traditionally-educated students.”
Seth Back, a homeschooler who took and passed the GED test at age 15 and is currently enrolled at Harvard, is confident that he was “better prepared for certain college situations than students who had been through the public/private school system.” During the past five years, Seth earned a juris doctor degree, passed the California Bar Exam, earned a master’s degree in church history, and studied at Oxford—all while managing his own consulting business. He credits homeschooling with fueling a love of learning and teaching him to take personal responsibility for his education, which included pursuing a wide variety of opportunities for his personal enrichment. He is but one example of the thousands of motivated, successful, visionary students who have benefited tremendously from their home education.
Colleges are looking for young people like Seth. They are excited about the exceptional potential presented by homeschool graduates and are vigorously pursuing their attention.
As college professors nationwide are given the opportunity to influence and further equip homeschool graduates, surely they will be refreshed and encouraged by this new breed of “independent thinkers” who are filling their classrooms. Wise college professors will carefully take advantage of the privilege they are being given in those classrooms—to build on the strong foundation laid by these students’ former teachers: their parents.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
School Districts Influenced By National Groups
School policies are made by school boards. School boards even in small towns are influenced by the National School Board Association. Jim was asked several times to join the National School Board Association and to go to State School Board Association Training, he declined. Local control is a myth. See below the email from the National School Board Association to Jim.
You really should be visit the National School Board Association's website to see the agenda they are promoting, their agenda is not that far off from the NEA's and AFT's agenda.
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
Ten New Year’s Resolutions for
School Board Members
10. Get in shape by developing an obesity action plan for your district. Studies have shown that healthy children have less absenteeism, concentrate better, and perform better on tests. Make sure your policies and practices support healthy options and physical activity for all students.
9. Get organized by reviewing your district policies. The New Year is a great time to make sure your policies are current, especially those on hot topics like bullying, which will be a focus for the Department of Education in 2011. You can turn to your state school boards association for policy guidance and support should your district need assistance.
8. Learn something new, like how technology can improve student and community engagement. Professional development opportunities, conferences, and webinars offered by your state association, the National School Boards Association, and NSBA’s National Affiliate program can show you how.
7. Identify additional funding sources. With today’s tight budgets, every dollar counts. Take advantage of grant services like GrantsQuest, free to NSBA National Affiliates, to discover funding opportunities for your district and get grant writing tips.
6. Save money on district purchases. Buying cooperatives can save your district time and money by streamlining the procurement process and negotiating volume discounts for participants. Many are free to join and give rebates based on purchases. If your state association does not offer one, consider a national program like the BuyBoard Cooperative Program.
5. Improve your relationship with your school board team. Start the year off right by clarifying roles and responsibilities for every member of your team. The Key Work of School Boards guidebook and training programs, offered by your state association and NSBA, provide tips for developing a good working relationship.
4. Discover best practices in school governance. Your state school boards association’s publications and NSBA’s American School Board Journal , included in NSBA’s National Affiliate benefits package, highlight success stories from public schools which may be applicable to your district.
3. Connect with school board colleagues from across your state and the nation. Conferences and social networks offered by your state association and NSBA provide great opportunities to learn how your colleagues are coping with the challenges of public education today.
2. Become a champion for local school board governance. With the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act on the horizon, now is the time for you to speak up for local school board governance. Add your voice to your state school boards association’s and NSBA’s National Affiliate districts who are calling for the end of unfunded federal mandates and the return of local control.
1. Join NSBA’s National Affiliate Program. Working with and through your state school boards association, NSBA’s National Affiliate program advocates for increased federal funding and local school board governance, provides resources and information, and offers professional development opportunities to help your district succeed. A complete list of benefits is available at www.nsba.org/na. Enroll your district in the National Affiliate program today and make 2011 the best year ever.
You really should be visit the National School Board Association's website to see the agenda they are promoting, their agenda is not that far off from the NEA's and AFT's agenda.
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
Ten New Year’s Resolutions for
School Board Members
10. Get in shape by developing an obesity action plan for your district. Studies have shown that healthy children have less absenteeism, concentrate better, and perform better on tests. Make sure your policies and practices support healthy options and physical activity for all students.
9. Get organized by reviewing your district policies. The New Year is a great time to make sure your policies are current, especially those on hot topics like bullying, which will be a focus for the Department of Education in 2011. You can turn to your state school boards association for policy guidance and support should your district need assistance.
8. Learn something new, like how technology can improve student and community engagement. Professional development opportunities, conferences, and webinars offered by your state association, the National School Boards Association, and NSBA’s National Affiliate program can show you how.
7. Identify additional funding sources. With today’s tight budgets, every dollar counts. Take advantage of grant services like GrantsQuest, free to NSBA National Affiliates, to discover funding opportunities for your district and get grant writing tips.
6. Save money on district purchases. Buying cooperatives can save your district time and money by streamlining the procurement process and negotiating volume discounts for participants. Many are free to join and give rebates based on purchases. If your state association does not offer one, consider a national program like the BuyBoard Cooperative Program.
5. Improve your relationship with your school board team. Start the year off right by clarifying roles and responsibilities for every member of your team. The Key Work of School Boards guidebook and training programs, offered by your state association and NSBA, provide tips for developing a good working relationship.
4. Discover best practices in school governance. Your state school boards association’s publications and NSBA’s American School Board Journal , included in NSBA’s National Affiliate benefits package, highlight success stories from public schools which may be applicable to your district.
3. Connect with school board colleagues from across your state and the nation. Conferences and social networks offered by your state association and NSBA provide great opportunities to learn how your colleagues are coping with the challenges of public education today.
2. Become a champion for local school board governance. With the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act on the horizon, now is the time for you to speak up for local school board governance. Add your voice to your state school boards association’s and NSBA’s National Affiliate districts who are calling for the end of unfunded federal mandates and the return of local control.
1. Join NSBA’s National Affiliate Program. Working with and through your state school boards association, NSBA’s National Affiliate program advocates for increased federal funding and local school board governance, provides resources and information, and offers professional development opportunities to help your district succeed. A complete list of benefits is available at www.nsba.org/na. Enroll your district in the National Affiliate program today and make 2011 the best year ever.
National School Choice Week
Do you believe in Choice?
National School Choice Week - January 23-29th, 2011.
Spread the word about school choice and demand that every parent has the option of school choice for their child. Contact your legislator today. Do schools exist to educate children or do schools exist as an entitlement program for teachers unions and other school bureaucrats?
To learn more about school choice visit the National School Choice Week website.
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
National School Choice Week - January 23-29th, 2011.
Spread the word about school choice and demand that every parent has the option of school choice for their child. Contact your legislator today. Do schools exist to educate children or do schools exist as an entitlement program for teachers unions and other school bureaucrats?
To learn more about school choice visit the National School Choice Week website.
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
What about Socialization?
Homeschoolers save taxpayers a ton of money, because taxpayers do not have to pay to educate homeschooler's children. My children, my responsibility and my neighbors should not have to pay to educate my children. If you assume 12,000 dollars per year, per child, we are saving Croydon taxpayers well over a quarter million dollars, for 12 years of school. But seriously, we know that it cost more than 12,000 dollars to educate a child in a public school.
One question I get is, what about socialization? That question is answered in No Thank You,
We Don't Believe in Socialization!
No Thank You,
We Don't Believe in Socialization!
©2000 Lisa Russell
I can't believe I am writing an article about socialization, The word makes my skin crawl. As homeschoolers, we are often accosted by people who assume that since we're homeschooling, our kids won't be "socialized." The word has become such a catch phrase that it has entirely lost any meaning.
The first time I heard the word, I was attending a Catholic day school as a first grader.
Having been a "reader" for almost 2 years, I found the phonics and reading lessons to be incredibly boring. Luckily the girl behind me felt the same way, and when we were done with our silly little worksheets, we would chat back and forth. I've never known two 6 yr. olds who could maintain a quiet conversation, so naturally a ruler-carrying nun interrupted us with a few strong raps on our desk. We were both asked to stay in at recess, and sit quietly in our desks for the entire 25 minutes, because "We are not here to socialize, young ladies."
Those words were repeated over and over throughout my education, by just about every teacher I've ever had. If we're not there to socialize, then why were we there? I learned to read at home. If I finished my work early (which I always did,) could I have gone home? If I were already familiar with the subject matter, would I have been excused from class that day? If schools weren't made for socializing, then why on earth would anyone assume that homeschoolers were missing out?
As a society full of people whose childhood’s were spent waiting anxiously for recess time, and trying desperately to "socialize" with the kids in class; It is often difficult for people to have an image of a child whose social life is NOT based on school buddies. Do you ever remember sitting in class, and wanting desperately to speak to your friend? It's kind of hard to concentrate on the lessons when you're bouncing around trying not to talk. Have you ever had a teacher who rearranged the seats every now and then, to prevent talking, splitting up friends and "talking corners." Were you ever caught passing notes in class?
Now- flash forward to "real life." Imagine the following scenes:
Your Employer is auditing the Inter-Office Email system and comes across a personal note between you and a coworker. You are required to stand at the podium in the next sales meeting to read it aloud to your coworkers. The Police knock on your door, and announce that because you and your neighbor have gotten so close, they're separating you. You must move your home and your belongings to the other side of town, and you may only meet at public places on weekends.
You're sitting at a booth waiting for a coworker to arrive for a scheduled lunch date. Suddenly a member of upper management sits down across from you and demands your credit cards. When your friend arrives, you just order water and claim you're not hungry, since he stole your lunch money.
You're applying for a job and in an unconventional hiring practice, you are made to line up with other applicants, and wait patiently while representatives from two competing companies take their pick from the lineup.
You're taking your parents out for an anniversary dinner. After you find a table, a waiter tells you that seniors have a separate dining room, lest they "corrupt" the younger members of society.
You go to the grocery store only to find that since you are 32 years old you must shop at the store for 32 year olds. It's 8 miles away and they don't sell meat because the manager is a vegetarian, but your birthday is coming up and soon you'll be able to shop at the store for 33 yr. olds.
To read the rest of this great article click here.
One question I get is, what about socialization? That question is answered in No Thank You,
We Don't Believe in Socialization!
No Thank You,
We Don't Believe in Socialization!
©2000 Lisa Russell
I can't believe I am writing an article about socialization, The word makes my skin crawl. As homeschoolers, we are often accosted by people who assume that since we're homeschooling, our kids won't be "socialized." The word has become such a catch phrase that it has entirely lost any meaning.
The first time I heard the word, I was attending a Catholic day school as a first grader.
Having been a "reader" for almost 2 years, I found the phonics and reading lessons to be incredibly boring. Luckily the girl behind me felt the same way, and when we were done with our silly little worksheets, we would chat back and forth. I've never known two 6 yr. olds who could maintain a quiet conversation, so naturally a ruler-carrying nun interrupted us with a few strong raps on our desk. We were both asked to stay in at recess, and sit quietly in our desks for the entire 25 minutes, because "We are not here to socialize, young ladies."
Those words were repeated over and over throughout my education, by just about every teacher I've ever had. If we're not there to socialize, then why were we there? I learned to read at home. If I finished my work early (which I always did,) could I have gone home? If I were already familiar with the subject matter, would I have been excused from class that day? If schools weren't made for socializing, then why on earth would anyone assume that homeschoolers were missing out?
As a society full of people whose childhood’s were spent waiting anxiously for recess time, and trying desperately to "socialize" with the kids in class; It is often difficult for people to have an image of a child whose social life is NOT based on school buddies. Do you ever remember sitting in class, and wanting desperately to speak to your friend? It's kind of hard to concentrate on the lessons when you're bouncing around trying not to talk. Have you ever had a teacher who rearranged the seats every now and then, to prevent talking, splitting up friends and "talking corners." Were you ever caught passing notes in class?
Now- flash forward to "real life." Imagine the following scenes:
Your Employer is auditing the Inter-Office Email system and comes across a personal note between you and a coworker. You are required to stand at the podium in the next sales meeting to read it aloud to your coworkers. The Police knock on your door, and announce that because you and your neighbor have gotten so close, they're separating you. You must move your home and your belongings to the other side of town, and you may only meet at public places on weekends.
You're sitting at a booth waiting for a coworker to arrive for a scheduled lunch date. Suddenly a member of upper management sits down across from you and demands your credit cards. When your friend arrives, you just order water and claim you're not hungry, since he stole your lunch money.
You're applying for a job and in an unconventional hiring practice, you are made to line up with other applicants, and wait patiently while representatives from two competing companies take their pick from the lineup.
You're taking your parents out for an anniversary dinner. After you find a table, a waiter tells you that seniors have a separate dining room, lest they "corrupt" the younger members of society.
You go to the grocery store only to find that since you are 32 years old you must shop at the store for 32 year olds. It's 8 miles away and they don't sell meat because the manager is a vegetarian, but your birthday is coming up and soon you'll be able to shop at the store for 33 yr. olds.
To read the rest of this great article click here.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Ruling Class
We are ruled by an oligarchy not only at a federal level but at the state level and city level as well. Schools are run by an elite class who can not relate to the struggles of those who pay their salaries. The compensation, vacation and benefit packages of said groups are unsustainable and out of control.
The following piece appears on American Thinker.com.
“For the bureaucrat, the world is a mere object to be manipulated by him.”
Karl Marx quotes (German political Philosopher and revolutionary, 1818-1883)
Similar Quotes.
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
The government ruling class by the numbers
K.E. Campbell
The ruling class continues to live high on the hog at the expense of the rest of the country -- staggering national debt, 10th Amendment and Great Recession be damned. The figures that follow are more consistent with an aristocracy, monarchy or plutocracy than our constitutional republic.
Home prices
According to the Washington Post, the Washington DC area experienced "the highest year-over-year home price gains in the nation this fall, as real estate values slumped in nearly every other metropolitan area." The article cited Standard & Poor's latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices released last week. From October 2009 to October 2010, home prices dropped in 16 of the 20 metro areas studied. Of the four cities with increases, home prices in the DC area rose most: 3.7%.
From September 2010 to October 2010, home prices declined in all of the 20 markets tracked. Still, the nation's capital region enjoyed a relative advantage, tying Las Vegas for the lowest month-over-month decline, -0.2%.
Unemployment rates
In late November 2010, Forbes reported that the DC area "boasts a better than average unemployment rate of 5.9%, far below the September's 9.2% national average." That's a 44% difference. The Washington area unemployment rate, according to the Post, "has consistently remained roughly three percentage points below the national average throughout the downturn in the economy."
Income
According to Forbes, the Washington DC area was "the place with the highest median family income" in 2009. Residents there realized a 0.7% increase, on average, in household income in 2009, despite the fact that "median family incomes across the country decreased dramatically from 2008 to 2009."
According to another Forbes ranking, three of the top five, six of the top ten, and 11 of the top 25 "richest" counties in U.S. are in the Washington DC area. The top three counties on the list -- Loudoun, Fairfax, and Howard -- are all in the DC area. The rankings are based on 2008 median household income data from the Census Bureau.
The Cato Institute analyzed data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and concluded that "in 2009, the average wage for 1.95 million federal civilian workers was $81,258, which compared to an average $50,462 for the nation's 101 million private sector workers (measured in full-time equivalents)." The disparity is even greater when benefits are considered. According to Cato, "federal worker compensation averaged a whopping $123,049, which was more than double the private sector average of $61,051" in 2009.
Until the beast that is the federal government is starved or at least put on a crash diet, the swine will continue to dine finely at our expense.
The following piece appears on American Thinker.com.
“For the bureaucrat, the world is a mere object to be manipulated by him.”
Karl Marx quotes (German political Philosopher and revolutionary, 1818-1883)
Similar Quotes.
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
The government ruling class by the numbers
K.E. Campbell
The ruling class continues to live high on the hog at the expense of the rest of the country -- staggering national debt, 10th Amendment and Great Recession be damned. The figures that follow are more consistent with an aristocracy, monarchy or plutocracy than our constitutional republic.
Home prices
According to the Washington Post, the Washington DC area experienced "the highest year-over-year home price gains in the nation this fall, as real estate values slumped in nearly every other metropolitan area." The article cited Standard & Poor's latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices released last week. From October 2009 to October 2010, home prices dropped in 16 of the 20 metro areas studied. Of the four cities with increases, home prices in the DC area rose most: 3.7%.
From September 2010 to October 2010, home prices declined in all of the 20 markets tracked. Still, the nation's capital region enjoyed a relative advantage, tying Las Vegas for the lowest month-over-month decline, -0.2%.
Unemployment rates
In late November 2010, Forbes reported that the DC area "boasts a better than average unemployment rate of 5.9%, far below the September's 9.2% national average." That's a 44% difference. The Washington area unemployment rate, according to the Post, "has consistently remained roughly three percentage points below the national average throughout the downturn in the economy."
Income
According to Forbes, the Washington DC area was "the place with the highest median family income" in 2009. Residents there realized a 0.7% increase, on average, in household income in 2009, despite the fact that "median family incomes across the country decreased dramatically from 2008 to 2009."
According to another Forbes ranking, three of the top five, six of the top ten, and 11 of the top 25 "richest" counties in U.S. are in the Washington DC area. The top three counties on the list -- Loudoun, Fairfax, and Howard -- are all in the DC area. The rankings are based on 2008 median household income data from the Census Bureau.
The Cato Institute analyzed data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and concluded that "in 2009, the average wage for 1.95 million federal civilian workers was $81,258, which compared to an average $50,462 for the nation's 101 million private sector workers (measured in full-time equivalents)." The disparity is even greater when benefits are considered. According to Cato, "federal worker compensation averaged a whopping $123,049, which was more than double the private sector average of $61,051" in 2009.
Until the beast that is the federal government is starved or at least put on a crash diet, the swine will continue to dine finely at our expense.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Moral of the Story
The following funny piece appeared on the Education Intelligence Agency Blog. Be sure to visit the EIA to view the links associated with the post.
"When school children start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of school children." - Albert Shanker, Former President of the American Federation of Teachers
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
The Ancient History of Education Labor
Rick Hess is excerpting items from his new book on his blog, and includes these interesting historical notes on differentiated pay for teachers:
In the Greek city-state of Teos, for example, elementary teachers were paid 600 drachmas for the first grade, 550 for the second, and 500 for the third. Equally noteworthy is that the Greeks also paid instructors differentially depending on the subject taught. Teosian archery and javelin teachers were the lowest-paid teachers, at 250 drachmas per year; literature teachers earned 500 to 600 drachmas; and music teachers were the highest-paid teachers, at 700 drachmas.
…Eventually, the Roman Emperor Gratian established a salary schedule throughout the empire in the fourth century CE, with pay routinely differentiated based on judgments regarding the import of various instructional roles.
These examples provide valuable insights on the history of paying teachers, but the ultimate outcomes were not so encouraging. Teos was destroyed by an earthquake and Gratian was assassinated by a rival pretending to be a supporter.
The lesson here is: If you mess with teacher pay, build your house on a solid foundation and keep your armor on.
"When school children start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of school children." - Albert Shanker, Former President of the American Federation of Teachers
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
The Ancient History of Education Labor
Rick Hess is excerpting items from his new book on his blog, and includes these interesting historical notes on differentiated pay for teachers:
In the Greek city-state of Teos, for example, elementary teachers were paid 600 drachmas for the first grade, 550 for the second, and 500 for the third. Equally noteworthy is that the Greeks also paid instructors differentially depending on the subject taught. Teosian archery and javelin teachers were the lowest-paid teachers, at 250 drachmas per year; literature teachers earned 500 to 600 drachmas; and music teachers were the highest-paid teachers, at 700 drachmas.
…Eventually, the Roman Emperor Gratian established a salary schedule throughout the empire in the fourth century CE, with pay routinely differentiated based on judgments regarding the import of various instructional roles.
These examples provide valuable insights on the history of paying teachers, but the ultimate outcomes were not so encouraging. Teos was destroyed by an earthquake and Gratian was assassinated by a rival pretending to be a supporter.
The lesson here is: If you mess with teacher pay, build your house on a solid foundation and keep your armor on.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Who is Karl Marx? Founding Father? Some Students Think So!
The following piece appeared on the Education Week BLOG. Be sure to visit the Education Week Blog to see the links associated with this story. People actually wonder why I call them "Taxpayer Funded Socialist Indoctrination Centers."
"Wherever is found what is called a paternal government, there is found state education. It has been discovered that the best way to insure implicit obedience is to commence tyranny in the nursery." - Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister (1874)
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
Karl Marx, Founding Father? Survey Shows Knowledge Gaps
By Erik Robelen on December 16, 2010 9:48 AM
It's not exactly news that many Americans are a bit weak in their knowledge of civics and history, but new survey results help put the situation in sharp relief.
The most striking finding was that nearly half of U.S. adults identified a phrase popularized by Karl Marx—"from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs"—as coming from one of America's founding documents.
Of the 42 percent of respondents who incorrectly identified the phrase, the most common response was that it could be found in the Bill of Rights. That's from a December survey commissioned by the nonprofit Bill of Rights Institute.
"It is imperative that Americans understand how vital the Bill of Rights is to the future of our country," Jason Ross, a vice president at the Bill of Rights Institute, said in a press release unveiling the new survey data. "With a better understanding of our founding documents, Americans can see how much our experiment in self-government depends on the ideas of the Founders and why America has been an example of freedom up to this point."
In other results from the survey, 55 percent of Americans did not recognize that "education" is not a First Amendment right and only one in five correctly identified the 10th Amendment as the one that reserves powers to the states and the people.
The survey comes as the Bill of Rights Institute this week launched a new initiative to educate Americans about the freedoms embodied in the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. As part of the undertaking, the organization has developed a new website focused on the text of the first 10 amendments, landmark Supreme Court cases and decisions based on those amendments, and various games and resources for students and educators.
The new survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Bill of Rights Institute from Dec. 1-3, 2010, among 2,159 adults ages 18 and older.
For those who may need a refresher course, here's a copy of the Bill of Rights.
"Wherever is found what is called a paternal government, there is found state education. It has been discovered that the best way to insure implicit obedience is to commence tyranny in the nursery." - Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister (1874)
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
Karl Marx, Founding Father? Survey Shows Knowledge Gaps
By Erik Robelen on December 16, 2010 9:48 AM
It's not exactly news that many Americans are a bit weak in their knowledge of civics and history, but new survey results help put the situation in sharp relief.
The most striking finding was that nearly half of U.S. adults identified a phrase popularized by Karl Marx—"from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs"—as coming from one of America's founding documents.
Of the 42 percent of respondents who incorrectly identified the phrase, the most common response was that it could be found in the Bill of Rights. That's from a December survey commissioned by the nonprofit Bill of Rights Institute.
"It is imperative that Americans understand how vital the Bill of Rights is to the future of our country," Jason Ross, a vice president at the Bill of Rights Institute, said in a press release unveiling the new survey data. "With a better understanding of our founding documents, Americans can see how much our experiment in self-government depends on the ideas of the Founders and why America has been an example of freedom up to this point."
In other results from the survey, 55 percent of Americans did not recognize that "education" is not a First Amendment right and only one in five correctly identified the 10th Amendment as the one that reserves powers to the states and the people.
The survey comes as the Bill of Rights Institute this week launched a new initiative to educate Americans about the freedoms embodied in the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. As part of the undertaking, the organization has developed a new website focused on the text of the first 10 amendments, landmark Supreme Court cases and decisions based on those amendments, and various games and resources for students and educators.
The new survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Bill of Rights Institute from Dec. 1-3, 2010, among 2,159 adults ages 18 and older.
For those who may need a refresher course, here's a copy of the Bill of Rights.
Who is Karl Marx? Founding Father? Some Students Think So!
The following piece appeared on the Education Week BLOG. Be sure to visit the Education Week Blog to see the links associated with this story. People actually wonder why I call them "Taxpayer Funded Socialist Indoctrination Centers."
"Wherever is found what is called a paternal government, there is found state education. It has been discovered that the best way to insure implicit obedience is to commence tyranny in the nursery." - Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister (1874)
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
Karl Marx, Founding Father? Survey Shows Knowledge Gaps
By Erik Robelen on December 16, 2010 9:48 AM
It's not exactly news that many Americans are a bit weak in their knowledge of civics and history, but new survey results help put the situation in sharp relief.
The most striking finding was that nearly half of U.S. adults identified a phrase popularized by Karl Marx—"from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs"—as coming from one of America's founding documents.
Of the 42 percent of respondents who incorrectly identified the phrase, the most common response was that it could be found in the Bill of Rights. That's from a December survey commissioned by the nonprofit Bill of Rights Institute.
"It is imperative that Americans understand how vital the Bill of Rights is to the future of our country," Jason Ross, a vice president at the Bill of Rights Institute, said in a press release unveiling the new survey data. "With a better understanding of our founding documents, Americans can see how much our experiment in self-government depends on the ideas of the Founders and why America has been an example of freedom up to this point."
In other results from the survey, 55 percent of Americans did not recognize that "education" is not a First Amendment right and only one in five correctly identified the 10th Amendment as the one that reserves powers to the states and the people.
The survey comes as the Bill of Rights Institute this week launched a new initiative to educate Americans about the freedoms embodied in the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. As part of the undertaking, the organization has developed a new website focused on the text of the first 10 amendments, landmark Supreme Court cases and decisions based on those amendments, and various games and resources for students and educators.
The new survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Bill of Rights Institute from Dec. 1-3, 2010, among 2,159 adults ages 18 and older.
For those who may need a refresher course, here's a copy of the Bill of Rights.
"Wherever is found what is called a paternal government, there is found state education. It has been discovered that the best way to insure implicit obedience is to commence tyranny in the nursery." - Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister (1874)
Cathy
Spelling errors, grammar errors, misuse of homonyms and typos are left as an exercise for my readers.
Karl Marx, Founding Father? Survey Shows Knowledge Gaps
By Erik Robelen on December 16, 2010 9:48 AM
It's not exactly news that many Americans are a bit weak in their knowledge of civics and history, but new survey results help put the situation in sharp relief.
The most striking finding was that nearly half of U.S. adults identified a phrase popularized by Karl Marx—"from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs"—as coming from one of America's founding documents.
Of the 42 percent of respondents who incorrectly identified the phrase, the most common response was that it could be found in the Bill of Rights. That's from a December survey commissioned by the nonprofit Bill of Rights Institute.
"It is imperative that Americans understand how vital the Bill of Rights is to the future of our country," Jason Ross, a vice president at the Bill of Rights Institute, said in a press release unveiling the new survey data. "With a better understanding of our founding documents, Americans can see how much our experiment in self-government depends on the ideas of the Founders and why America has been an example of freedom up to this point."
In other results from the survey, 55 percent of Americans did not recognize that "education" is not a First Amendment right and only one in five correctly identified the 10th Amendment as the one that reserves powers to the states and the people.
The survey comes as the Bill of Rights Institute this week launched a new initiative to educate Americans about the freedoms embodied in the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. As part of the undertaking, the organization has developed a new website focused on the text of the first 10 amendments, landmark Supreme Court cases and decisions based on those amendments, and various games and resources for students and educators.
The new survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Bill of Rights Institute from Dec. 1-3, 2010, among 2,159 adults ages 18 and older.
For those who may need a refresher course, here's a copy of the Bill of Rights.
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